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There arose an argument among them about which of them was the greatest.
Luke 9:46 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.
  • BSB Then an argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.
  • NKJV Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.
  • NASB Now an argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.
  • NLT Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • Matt 18:1–5In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
  • Matt 20:20–22Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking a certain thing of him.
  • Mark 9:33–37He came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing among yourselves on the way?”
  • Phil 2:3doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;
  • 3 Jn 1:9I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t accept what we say.
  • Phil 2:14Do all things without murmurings and disputes,
  • Matt 23:6–7and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,
  • Rom 12:3For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.
  • Rom 12:10In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another;
  • Luke 22:24–27There arose also a contention among them, which of them was considered to be greatest.
  • Luke 14:7–11He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them,
  • Gal 5:25–26If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.
  • Gal 5:20–21idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 9:46YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.

How Luke 9:46 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.